Arguably, Lillywhite is best known for his work with U2, spanning from their albums Boy, October, War and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, to songs on the infamous Joshua Tree and more.

Lillywhite worked with what he describes as “the bad mullet band” U2 when they were on the verge of blowing up and swiftly rose to success in a time when music made unfathomable amounts of money.

How did Lillywhite manage to work with such a pivotal band at an early point in his career? Though he’s been working in the “vacuum” of the studio since age 17, the producer joked with KROQ’s Kevin & Bean in an interview Tuesday (May 21) that he has to “thank Ian Curtis [of Joy Division] for dying.”